


Hood

by kiarcheo



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Don't copy to another site, F/F, Juliantina, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Robin Hood AU, Tumblr Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:18:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiarcheo/pseuds/kiarcheo
Summary: The people’s only hope is Hood, a mysterious figure who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Most people have stories of having seen the hooded figure leaving foods or money to those needing them. Alacran hates Hood with passion and has a personal vendetta against the man who is the bane of his existence.Except that it’s not a man. It’s a girl. A girl named Juliana Valdes.Born as a random idea on Tumblr, it became sort of a fic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to leave it on Tumblr as I deemed it not 'real fic' enough, but someone told me to post it here too so...thanks @CatsShadow
> 
> Not Beta'd, sorry

Leon is the beloved ruler of the Carvajal kingdom, but one day he goes on a diplomatic trip. He leaves in charge his second wife and queen Lucia and his trusted cousin and adviser, prince Johny.

As years pass, however, prince Johny tries to convince queen Lucia that no news from the king means that he’s dead and that she should marry him to give the country a proper king. Until prince Guille is ready to take over, of course, he amends when Lucia reminds him that the kingdom has a heir, prince Guillelmo.

Leon, in fact, had three children from his first wife. Eva, the oldest, has married Mateo, the king of a neighbouring  country, so she is not particularly involved into the Carvajal kingdom’s affairs. Guille is the heir, but he is still ‘training’ as it was expected Leon would reign for a long time before passing him the throne. He spends a lot of time away from the castle with Camilo, his father’s best friend, learning how to govern a country and lead an army. Then there is the youngest, Valentina, who lives in the castle, feeling trapped and sad most of the time, the only friendly faces around since Johny basically took over being Lucia, Chivis, her nurse who now works in the kitchen, and Renata, her handmaiden. And Guille when he is around…and not making eyes at Renata.

Anyhow. Prince Johny is hounding Lucia to marry him, but she deflects, waiting and hoping for Leon to come back. The last ‘excuse’ to delay is that Valentina still needs maternal guidance and between caring for her and ruling the country she has no time for marriage. Cue Johny suddenly in a hurry to marry Valentina off, inviting suitors at the castle.

Among all of this, the kingdom is suffering because Johny keeps raising the taxes and Alacran, the sheriff and Johny’s right hand, terrorises the poor people who can’t pay. From stealing their meagre possessions to violence to jail, nothing stops Alacran and his men from getting their hands on what they deemed as ‘theirs’.

The people’s only hope is Hood, a mysterious figure who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Most people have stories of having seen the hooded figure leaving foods or money to those needing them. Alacran hates Hood with passion and has a personal vendetta against the man who is the bane of his existence.

Except that it’s not a man. It’s a girl. A girl named Juliana Valdes. She was living near the kingdom’s borders, but she moved closer to the capital hoping to find respite from the harsh economic conditions that made almost impossible to survive there. Except that the situation wasn’t any better. If anything, it was even worse, because Alacran showed up once a year where they lived, but there is a daily threat. She still can feel  him pressing his body against hers, his words in her ear, the bruising hold on her arms, until her mother threw their last savings at his feet, begging him to spare her. She still remembers him leering at her from his horse, a threating promise of ‘next time’. Soon after that they moved.

Juliana knows that she and Lupe had been lucky to find people willing to help them, because their situation would have been even worse. At least her mom had a job, they had a roof above their heads. Still the injustice of everything made her blood boil. And she had always been hot-headed (her mom blames her father for that) and one she snapped. She saw some of Alacran’s men manhandling an old lady, pawning at her until they found what she was hiding, before pushing her on the ground. Then she saw them putting their loot in the bags on their horse before going to drink at the tavern…and probably leave without paying too. Without thinking about it twice, she passed by the horse and flicked open her butterfly knife, quickly slashing the leather strips holding two small bags and stashing the bags in her shirt. Quickly scurrying away, she found an hideout and checked the content. Recognizing the old lady’s belongings she decided to return them to her. The rest she decided to leave it to Perlita, the kind tavern-owner who took her and her mom in, and who was always helping others, including giving a bowl of soup to anyone who asked, even if they couldn’t afford it.

This is how her career as a criminal began. Putting to use what she learned from her father. How to go unnoticed. How to break into a house. How to use a variety of weapons. Unlike her father, however, she makes a point of only stealing from people who are clearly well-off enough not to suffer, or even notice, that something is missing. And if that someone is Alacran or his men…even better, because they are stealing in the first place.

Hood quickly got a reputation for being an outlaw on the side of the people…who gladly looked the other way if they saw something happening. But only two people know about Hood’s identity. Barbara, the local witch and the one who patches Juliana up when she gets hurt. Juliana doesn’t believe in magic, but she has no idea how Barbara knew her secret the first time they met. And Perlita, who quickly puts together the money she got from Juliana to pay food for those who couldn’t and the news about someone stealing from Alacran’s men. She often lets Juliana knows who are the most needy people so that Juliana can leave something at their home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Queen meets Hood

News go around that the Queen has been kidnapped. Juliana hears it too, and between what she knows and words on the street, she is sure that it must be Armenta. He has a rivalry with Alacran and is probably hoping to oust him, whether by convincing prince Johny that he can’t be trusted with the Queen’s safety or plainly blackmailing the prince and releasing the Queen only if Alacran is gone. It’s universally know that Johny wants Lucia (also, no way for him to get the throne without her, anyway).

Juliana tracks down where the Queen is kept and frees her. Then she steals a horse and they get away as quick as possible. Once she deems it safe, she dismounts the horse and the queen does the same. Juliana looks at her a bit confused before telling the queen that the horse is for her to go back to the castle. It’s a long way walking, especially dressed as the queen is. Lucia is a bit confused too. She had heard about Hood, the bane of Alacran’s existence (and Johny’s too), but she also hears the whispers of the people loving the outlaw because he’s on their side and trying to help. She can’t help asking ‘Why are you doing this?’

Nobody ever asked it. Juliana shrugs. ‘Someone has to do it. I’m good at it’

‘You’re going to get killed. It’s not your job to save the kingdom’ Lucia is sad. Technically it’s her job, but she is failing.

‘Maybe. Or maybe it is. And if I don’t do my part, who else will do it?’

Hood’s words stop Lucia in her tracks. She looks at Hood’s eyes, the only visible part of the face, between the hood and the bandana covering nose and mouth.

‘Juliana?’

‘Shhhhh’ Juliana’s eyes dart around, then she grabs Lucia’s wrist and drags her to the side of the clearing, taking cover behind some trees. Then she drops the wrist like it’s scalding hot and burning her. ‘Your Majesty, I apologize’ she stutters out.

‘Your Majesty? What happens to LuLu?’ she asks, almost amused.

‘LuLu married the king’

‘Are you…?

Juliana looks around once again, before quickly taking off hood and bandana, stowing them away. ‘Hi’ she smiled shyly, before looking away.

‘I can’t believe it’ Lucia caresses her cheek ‘you’re so grown up…’

‘Yeah…well’ Juliana fidgets a bit, awkwardly.

‘You living around? Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Sure, just show up to the castle and say what? Let me talk to the Queen, she used to take care of me when my mom was working? Besides…I made it work anyway’

‘You know, when I told you that thing it was so that you’d do house-chores…it wasn’t so that you could become…’ Lucia looks at her up and down ‘this’ she concludes, a smile on her face letting Juliana know that she doesn’t necessarily mean it negatively.

Juliana thinks back at when she was a child and Lucia was just a girl who was always nice to her, never letting the rough situation they were in diminishing her kindness. Then a prince passed by and thought that Lucia was too beautiful for their forsaken town at the kingdom’s borders and took her to the capital. Lucia left with the promise of a job at the castle and with hindsight she realizes that Johny probably had hoped for something more…but the king had immediately found a liking to her, and her to him, and the prince had to play the happy matchmaker.

‘You know’ Juliana shrugs.

‘Still a girl of few words’ Lucia chuckles

‘Less to be recognized’

Juliana’s words bring back the reality of the situation. ‘You’re going to get killed’ Lucia repeated, worry added to the previous seriousness.

‘I can’t do nothing’ Juliana looks at the sky ‘and you need to go back. Take the horse and return to the castle. Hopefully you’ll be safe there’

‘And what about you?’

Juliana doesn’t reply, just take out her hood and bandana, putting them back on.

‘Just be safe’


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meeting

Lucia returns to the castle unharmed to everyone’s joy and relief. Of course everyone also wants to know what happened, how she escaped. Lucia gives a redacted version. A hooded figure saved her, put her on a horse and told her to go. No, she has no idea who that person was. Was he Hood? He had a hood on, but she never met Hood before so she can’t say.  A lot of other questions get vague unanswered. It frustrates Alacran and Johny, but they just attribute it to the shock and trauma of getting kidnapped, and they let it go. They also try to spin it and tell people that the royal guards found the queen, but everyone knows that it was Hood.

Valentina was terrified during Lucia’s absence as she loves her very much and she is also basically her only ally in the castle. And she knows that Lucia is the only one stopping Johny from marrying her off. She spent those terrifying those, confined in the castle, her only company Renata and Lucho, a suitor Johny is very keen on. The boy had some good moments, but he also drinks too much and is too controlling, especially for someone who have no say on what she, a princess, can and should do. Moreover, Valentina has no intention to marry him. Or anyone else Johny presented her. She grew up and is often lonely, taking refuging in literature and romances. So she has very idealized ideas of what loves should be. She wants a true love. A real love. If her dad got it twice, first with her mom and then with Lucia, why can’t she have it too. At least once?

As the situation is getting tenser, Lucia suggests that Valentina should visit Eva. Val misses her sister so she agrees and goes to spend some time in the neighbouring kingdom. It’s on her way back to the Carvajal kingdom that her carriage is attacked and her life changed forever.

 

Valentina has no idea how it happened. One moment her carriage stops, some guards shouting that they are going to see where some of the other carriages are, since they don’t seem to be following them anymore. The next one someone is inside her carriage, apparently unnoticed by her guards, straddling her to stop her moving and an hand on her mouth preventing her from shouting for help.

‘Don’t try anything. I don’t want to hurt you’

Valentina looks into the eyes of her assailant. Is he Hood? Well, he has a hood. And a bandana covering nose and mouth. She now understands why nobody seems ever certain to have met THE Hood. Is he Hood or just another person in a hood? She looks into those eyes and she knows it’s silly, but she somehow trusts that he’s telling the truth and doesn’t want to hurt her. She notices how young he looks, no lines around his eyes. His kind eyes. His features looks almost delicate, if she dares to say. She blushes and hopes that he’ll just think it’s because of their inappropriate position. And now that she thought about it, the warmth of his body on hers is all she can think. She had never been that close to anyone.

Valentina doesn’t know how long they stare into each other’s eyes, but it’s Hood who looks away first.

‘Qué?’ he closes his eyes, tilting his head as if to listen to something.

And then Valentina hears something too.

‘Mierda, mierda, mierda!’ Hood scrambles off her lap and peers outside ‘Mierda!’

‘What’s going on?’ Valentina asks scared. She hears shouting and fighting and ‘What’s going on’

‘Princess, I need you to trust me’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Look, I want your money. They want you’

‘They?’

‘Armenta’s men’

Valentina blanches at the name. Alacran didn’t stop bringing up Armenta and him being involved in Lucia’s kidnapping for months, hoping that Johny would allow him to take him out. Unfortunately, and Val never thought she’d say it, it seemed like Alacran didn’t get his way.

She looks at the hand Hood is holding out. And with a split second decision she grabs it.

It’s almost an out-of-body experience. She has no idea what happens or even how she is moving. She can feel Eva’s voice in her mind, chastising her for trusting someone who was seconds away from robbing her, if not worse. But then her brains is trying to rationalize her decision. It’s not just her feelings. He could have just run away without Val, leaving her to her destiny, but he didn’t.

She doesn’t know how, but then she is an horse, Hood behind her, leaning against her back, galloping away.

‘You know how to ride, right?’

‘Yes’

She feels Hood dismounting, not in a graceful way if she trusts her hearing, a thump and a grunt reaching her hears.

‘Go home, then’

She hears a slap, a neigh and the horse starts galloping.


	4. Chapter 4

It takes some moments for Valentina to realize what is happening. To take the reins and stop the horse. To turn the animal around. Who is he to just send her away like that? She didn’t even thank him.

She didn’t go too far so she easily finds the way back. To the small house in the forest that she had seen out of the corner of her eyes before Hood jumped down the horse.

Hood who was leaning heavily against the door, trying to open it.

‘Would you like an hand?’

Hood turns around abruptly.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘I-‘ whatever Val was saying dies in her throat as she sees the red in Hood’s hands. ‘Are you hurt?’ she hurries to him.

‘I’m fine’ Hood grinds out, but by now Val is in front of him and sees the beads of sweat on his forehead and the pain in his eyes.

Val ignores him and open the door, before offering her arms for him to lean on.

‘I’m fine’ he repeats even while swaying.

‘shut up and let me help you’ Val wounds her arm around his waist and basically drags him inside and onto the small bed by the window.

She starts raising his upper clothes trying to find the bleeding.

‘Didn’t take you for that kind of girl, princess’

Val looks up to glare at him only to realize that he is has the hood and bandana on…so she moves to take them off.

‘You’re a girl’ she gasps as Juliana’s hair and features are revealed.

‘Beauty and brain’ Juliana quips before grimacing in pain.

Then she points where some supplies are and Val gets to work trying to clean the wound, but it’s not a lot and Val has never done it before. Juliana is in and out of consciousness and Val is worried. One time she awakes again, she tells Hood she is going to town to look for help. ‘And what? Tell your royal doctor that Hood is lying helpless in the forest?’ Juliana points out. She directs her to a cupboard where to find some scraps of paper and some ink. She tells her what to write and to open the window. Then she whistles and a bird flies in. She tells Val to tie the message to its leg. It’s quite amusing to watch. At the end she whistles again, the bird flies to her and she does it herself. Val is not amused. And no, she is not smiling. Especially not because she thinks Hood is cute while smiling.

‘So…how do I call you?’ she asks as the bird flies away. Hood stares at her. ‘Look, I can keep you calling Hood, but I saved your life and I think I deserve to know your name, don’t you’

‘Actually I saved your life, princess’

‘Let’s say we saved each other. But you still tried to rob me. So you owe me one’

Hood chuckles. ‘Juliana’ she murmurs before fading into unconsciousness again.

While they are waiting for help Juliana tries to convince Valentina to leave and return to the castle. By now they’d now that the convoy was attacked and everyone will be worried. Val refuses.

The help is Barbara. Who is shocked to find the princess at Juliana’s bedside and tells her everyone is looking for her. Juliana’s look is clearly a ‘I told you so’. She tells Barbara to convince Val to go home. Val makes a passionate speech about how she won’t until she knows Juliana is fine, because she got hurt protecting her…and Barbara looks between the two girls bewildered, before going ‘ohhh’ with realization. Apparently the tarots told her something about this but she hadn’t realized. She won’t tell the girls exactly what, murmuring something about hearts and swords before stumbling through excuses as to how she’ll send supplies but she really can’t stay to look after Juliana so maybe Valentina should?

Valentina comes up with the idea of sending a message to Guille, telling him that if anyone ask she escaped from the ambush and went to him and she is now staying with him for a while. She adds a small code to the message to let him know that it’s actually her. It’s a code only Leon and his three children know. Then she writes to Lucia letting her know the same. Barbara will send the messages.

So Val and Juliana living in the forest with Val playing nurse while Juls recovers. Juliana has a lot of fun seeing Val trying to do stuff around the house since she is a princess and never had to raise an hand to do any kind of work, but she always ends up patiently teaching her. Although it usually ends up with Val sending Juls back to bed because she should rest and instead is always trying to do too much too soon. She soon finds that a good way to keep Juls still is to sit on the bed with her and sing….or tell her stories from the books she read, even if Juls ends up making fun of them and their romances half of the time.

Unfortunately all good times come to an end. Juliana recovers and they are both aware that they can’t stay forever in their idyllic bubble. A way to communicate is established and a goodbye kiss might have been exchanged.


	5. Chapter 5

Val returns to the castle and tells her story. How they were attacked, how she managed to escape on a horse and didn’t know where she was until she recognized Camilo’s land and went to Guille. How she stayed there to recover from the fright and the escape and then to spend some time with her brother. Supported by Guille’s letters sent to Johny when he enquired about Val’s presence, her tale is believed.

But not by Lucia. At the first occasion they are alone, she looks at her, raises an eyebrow and asks what really happened. Val tells her about the attempt robbery and then how Hood saved her and she is trying to convince her that Hood is nothing like Johny and Alacran say. And she knows it was crazy to trust him, but she looked into his eyes, and he’s  just – ‘kind, trying to help the people?’ Lucia completes her sentence.

‘How did you…did you meet him?’

‘You could say that’

‘Wait, was he the one who saved you?’

And honestly it’s a bit funny because they just keep talking about Hood as a him because they don’t know the other knows who Hood really is and they both want to protect Juliana.

Juliana and Valentina manage to set up some meetings. Sometime they go on dates. Other times  Valentina brings her money to distribute to the people. Or let her know what Alacran is planning or where he’s going to be, if she manages to find out, so that Hood can either warn or help people in the aftermath.

Valentina always managed to slip away unnoticed until one day Lucho follows her. Juliana manages to knock him out before he sees her or Hood, but they know it will change things. Lucho confronts her and while he has no proof and didn’t see anything, what other reason Val would have to sneak around if not for seeing some boy? Val denies it, but he doesn’t believe it and goes to Johny who tightens the security.

Knowing that she won’t be able to make it to the next meeting and that Juliana will worry something bad happened, especially with the Lucho thing, Val begs Lucia to go in her stead. She just tells her to go to the meeting point and drop a basket with some food and a message in it. Lucia agrees because she loves Val and she has her own idea of who she was sneaking away to meet.

Indeed she arrives at the meeting point, drops the basket and says loudly ‘If you’re around, I’d love to talk to you. I’m alone but I bring a message’.  Juliana literally drops down from wherever she was perched on and the first question she asks it’s if Val is okay. Lucia tells her what happened and why she isn’t there. Then she tells her to be careful. Not just with the useful stuff. With Val too.

‘Prince Johny will kill you if he finds out’. She warns.

‘He’ll kill me anyway if he ever gets his hands on me. Just add it to the list’

Some time passes…and some things that people never thought would happen comes to pass. King Leon returns. Prince Johny is exposed as a traitor who tried to have him killed and usurp the throne. Hood is caught.


	6. Chapter 6

Leon watches as the guards push the prisoner to his knees. As the bag is taken off the prisoner’s head, he hears gasps.

‘Hello princess, fancy meeting you here’ the girl’s face is bloodied but she is smiling.

‘Juliana!’ Valentina runs to her, softly cupping her face ‘What did they do to you?’ her voice trembles, her eyes shining with tears.

‘You should see the other guys’

Leon is quite sure they have forgotten where they are when Lucho grabs Valentina’s arms to take her away. Leon furrow his brows at seeing him manhandling his daughter, but before he can say anything the prisoner, Juliana – that what Valentina called her –  is on her feet, shoulder checking Lucho so hard that he drops his hold on Valentina.

‘Don’t touch her’ she growls.

Lucho makes to move against her, but a guard is now between the two….and Leon can’t help noticing how Juliana is standing firmly in front of Valentina, as if to protect her…and how Valentina holds onto her back, as if trusting her to protect her.

‘Guards, led the prisoner away’

Valentina tries to protest, but Juliana lets herself be led away. ‘About time I see your house’ she tries to give her a reassuring smile.

‘Valentina, what’s going on?’

‘You can’t do this!’ Leon has never seen his daughter like this.

‘Her? Her?’ Lucho starts shouting ‘It was her?’

‘Shut up!’ Valentina yells at him. And at that point Leon knows everyone needs to take a minute. He tells them that they’ll talk about it later…before getting called away for some days. Just because he came back it doesn’t mean that all the problems Johny and Alacran created disappeared.

Then he comes back and he knows he has to deal with the situation. He tells Lucia so and she warns him to be careful, because Valentina might never forgive him.  He decides that he wants to talk with this Juliana…asks her what’s her relationship with Valentina…if she is really Hood like the guards claims…

He goes to the dungeons through a secret passage, knowing that Juliana was put in a separate cell from everyone else jailed there.

‘You shouldn’t be here’

A familiar voice stops him in his tracks.

‘You tell me that every day, and yet every day I’m here.’

‘And I’ll keep telling you that. Look at you. Sitting on the floor. Sharing…what is this?...with a prisoner. You don’t belong here, princess’

‘You don’t belong here either. And it’s cake’

‘You spoil me’

A snort.

‘No, really, I’ve never eaten so many sweets as since I’m your family’s guest’

‘How can you be so calm?!’ Leon recognizes the frustration in his daughter’s voice.

‘Val,’ he raises an eyebrow at the familiarity between them ‘I always knew that sooner or later it would end up like this’

‘You were helping people! I will tell my dad, I will explain to him’

‘He can’t let me go…I’m still a criminal’ he doesn’t know what to think about this girl, but she sounds reasonable, at least.

‘Then I’ll help you escape and we’ll run away’

‘And what? Be on the run forever? You’re a princess. You deserve more than that. You deserve the world. Not hiding and running and being afraid and hungry for the rest of your life. I’ve been hungry. I’ll never do that to you. You’ll never be able to see your family again.’

‘I’m willing to give up whatever I have to, I will fight anyone. I don’t care is if it’s my family, my friends. I don’t care. So I can be with you’

‘Val…’

‘Let me save you. I’m going to do it. I’ll ask Lucia to help. You saved her, right? She owe you. I’ll do it, Juls, I won’t let anything happen to you’


	7. Chapter 7

Leon leaves having heard enough and goes to Lucia. He asks if there is any truth into Valentina’s words. Did Juliana really save her? Lucia confirms it and explains what happened. Then he asks why Val knows her so well. And Lucia just tells him that she saved her from an attempted kidnapping. She sees he has doubts. He can’t just let an outlaw go free because he’s grateful. What will the people say? Lucia tells him that the people love Hood because he helped them so she is sure they wouldn’t mind. Leon isn’t convinced. So she asks for a week to prove it to him.

She makes public announcements that during the week people can bring anything they wish the prisoners in the castle to have (except weapons, clearly, the gifts will be checked). After a week Lucia shows Leon the results. Juliana has more than most of the other prisoners have, but nothing impressive…then she shows him what people brought for Hood. That IS impressive.

She explains that people have no idea who the Hood is, just that he helped them and was caught and now is in the dungeons.

Leon calls for a public assembly. Juliana stands on a platform, hands bound. Leon announces that this girl is accused of being Hood. Everyone start shouting that Hood is a man. A particularly loud man is arguing that it’s impossible…until someone shuts him up yelling back if he had ever see Hood’s face. Of course not, everyone else agree, Hood’s face was always covered. Juliana nods at Barbara, in thanks. Then Lucia comes closer.

‘May I?’ she gestures to her head.

‘Gracias’ is everything Juliana says, before a soft ‘LuLu’ is muttered.

Then Lucia pulls up Juliana’s hood and uses her handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth. She turns to the people ‘Does she looks familiar now?’

People starts murmuring as she goes back standing next to the king, who gives her a look. She knows she will have some explanation to give. People keep talking to each other. The girl looks like Hood. But wouldn’t everyone looks like Hood covering their face like that?

‘Hood has a red mark on his shoulder’ someone shouts. Everyone turns towards the voice. Juliana recognizes the woman. ‘I’ve seen his back after the guards sliced his shirt. Right shoulder, I think. Or left. Don’t remember, but I’ll recognize it’

‘It’s the right one. And it’s a birthmark’ Everyone now looks at Valentina, who takes a moment to realize what she said. Then she just raises her chin, daring anyone to say anything. If it saves Juliana, she will gladly embarrass herself thousands of times.

Leon looks at his daughter. They clearly need to talk. Still. He has to end this first. ‘Guard, please check her right shoulder’

The guard hesitantly puts his hands on her. ‘Sorry’

‘You Sergio?’ Juliana sees him nods. ‘Did the princess threaten you?’

He doesn’t reply but she knows it. Val would always visit her cell when a guard named Sergio was on duty, because he would let her in…

‘Just do it. I’ll deal with her’

He pulls down the shirt enough to uncover the red birthmark on her shoulder, then he turns her around so that people can see.

‘It’s him! Her! Whatever’ Milagros exclaims ‘it’s Hood!’

People start shouting, the chant of ‘Hood’ picking up until silence is demanded for the king to speak. The chant slowly dies.

‘I’ve heard that during my absence, this…girl, as Hood, was of great help to my people’ Cheers pick up until he raises his hand to get silence. ‘It was suggested that I should consider letting her go free’ People explode and he gets the message.

Leon declaring Juliana free ‘for services to the crown’ is met with cheers and happy shouting. He is about to order the guard to cut the rope holding Juliana’s hands when he sees her freeing herself…just in time to catch in her arms a sprinting Valentina.

He and Lucia waits for the couple inside the castle, Leon suspecting his daughter wouldn’t let Juliana out of her sight. Indeed as they arrive, arms around each other, he can hear Juliana telling Valentina that she was filthy and Valentina answering that she didn’t care…but that she can have a bath prepared for them now, if Juliana wishes. Before he can say or do anything, probably coughing to remind them that they are not alone, Lucia steps forwards.

‘May I?’ she raises her arms.

‘I’m filthy’ Juliana repeats.

‘You’ve been worse, trust me’

They both chuckle.

‘If Your Majesty so desires…’ Juliana lets go of Valentina and step towards Lucia.

The Queen draws her into a hug. ‘I was LuLu not too long ago’

Leon and Valentina exchange a look. It seems like they both have questions.

‘I thought I was going to die. What they were going to do? Kill me more for disrespecting the Queen?’

‘Can you please never talk about dying again? Like ever?’

‘Of course, mi amor’ Juliana lets Lucia go and turns towards Val, only to see Leon looking at her with an eyebrow raised. ‘I mean, princess’

‘I think that we have a lot to talk’ Leon looks at three women in front of him. ‘But first I’ll let you refresh a bit’

A ‘thank you, your Majesty’ barely leaves Juliana’s mouth before Val is already dragging her away by her hand.


	8. Epilogue

Juliana is a familiar sight in the castle. Leon watches her teaching Val how to handle weapons, because you never know. Spending time with Lucia. Listening to Val reading…and learning how to read. Sparring with Guille.

One day he calls her and asks her when she is going to make an honest woman out of his daughter. Juliana is shocked.

‘I’m a pardoned criminal and she is…’

‘A princess?’ Leon completes her sentence for her.

‘I was going to say Valentina, but sure, a princess works too. I can’t offer her anything’

‘She seems perfectly fine with what you can offer’

‘But what about the future?’ Juliana pushes through her embarrassment at having this talk with Val’s father, not to mention the king. ‘there will be no heir’

‘Prince Guillermo married Lady Renata and I’m sure that there will be kids soon. Eva already has a child’ He interrupts her. ‘And look. I married Lucia and you know perfectly what’s her background. Renata was Valentina’s handmaiden. Why wouldn’t Valentina be able to marry the one she loves, even if she has no title? But if that is your main objection…Johny’s seat is still vacant and its land with it…’

‘And…you…I mean. Me?’ Juliana can’t believe what she is hearing.

‘I chose Johny because I thought he had my family and my kingdom’s best interests at heart…you proved it already’

‘You’d really allow me to marry Valentina?’

‘Is it you asking for her hand?’

‘I think I’ll ask her first’

Few days later, when Valentina basically skips into the dining hall holding the hand of a more composed but equally beaming Juliana, Leon knows. He stands up and raises his glass. ‘Welcome to the family’

 


End file.
